Displaying items by tag: project

The book launch of Blue as a Cornflower, Red as a Poppy was in the North Shore Times. We held the book launch on Friday 9, 2018. This was two days before the armistice centennial. It was a very timely reminder of the shared destinies of our two countries.

At the book launch of Blue as a Cornflower, Red as a Poppy. Last year the students in this photo wrote and illustrated a book about the experiences of French and New Zealand soldiers at the Western Front during World War I. The French part of the story was focused on Verdun. The New Zealand part of the story was focussed on the Somme. These were both very important battles for New Zealand and France.

It has only been over a month since we returned from our trip to France and it feels like a dream far in the past. I still find myself thinking about it and reminiscing on our experiences everyday. The past 10 months preparing for this unbelievable experience have been life-changing. I have formed lifelong friendships, and had countless once in a lifetime experiences.

Before I applied for this trip I wasn’t even aware that I had ancestors who fought in WW1. At that time I wouldn’t have...

Man, what an adventure! Having returned from our trip to France I feel accomplished, for having carried out my project; amazed, at all the things I’ve seen and the experiences we all shared together and lastly, proud to say I did my duty as a Young Ambassador.

Seeing the places I researched was unforgettable. The scale of The Great War was always visible, through the landscape and the ever-present cemeteries scattered around the countryside of North Eastern France. Each one commemorated men...

Bonjour a tous! The Young Ambassadors exchange is really picking up pace. In the autumn holidays we spend a week with the French Young Ambassadors in Wellington. It was so fantastic meeting the French Young Ambassadors and throughout the week we got to know each other really well. It was so special sharing experiences like the powhiri and the overnight stay at the Waiouru Army Camp with them because they were completely new for most of us! Being in an environment where French was the default...

Kia Ora et Bonjour tout le monde
The week spent in Wellington seems a long time ago now with a month and a half having gone by, but the events of the week will never be forgotten.

Time is progressing towards our trip to France - and it doesn’t seem so long ago that the French students were just with us.

Spending the week with the French students was really interesting in lots of ways. We spent a lot of the week comparing the differences between our two cultures, and a point that came up a fair bit was the difference in the ways that New Zealanders view their own history, as opposed to the French attitude towards their own. The French seemed bemused at the way that...